Electronic and communication equipment is often a target for theft. Items of electronic equipment such as computers, laser printers and fax machines have high economic value and are portable enough to invite theft. Various security systems have been used in the prior art to deter such theft. For example, electronic units have been bolted onto heavy objects, and locking cables or chains have been used to join multiple units of computer systems together. These mechanical theft protection schemes often provide less than a satisfactory solution to the theft problem. Many users of this electronic equipment are discouraged from using these mechanical protection mechanisms because they detract from the portability of the equipment.
Furthermore, many manufacturers of electronic units develop and market their products to appeal to office workers who wish to begin operating the units immediately without the use of special tools or assembly equipment. In other words, it is desirable for a purchaser to be able to remove the components of an electronic unit such as a computer from its packaging, plug some electronic and power supply cables together, and start using the computer immediately. It is inconvenient and burdensome to drill holes in desks and benches and install bolts and cables. Because of the inconvenience of installing mechanical theft deterrent systems, these systems are often not installed and electronic units remain vulnerable to theft.
Current carrying conductors are used in theft detection systems. Such systems typically use metallic foil tapes as current carrying conductors. The tapes are placed on surfaces of objects that are likely to be broken or displaced if a theft occurs. For example, a tape may be adhered to a glass window or some valuable object. In these systems it is necessary to perform a complex installation procedure. If it is desired to move an object after a tape is applied to it, the complex installation procedure must be repeated. Additionally, these theft detection systems typically require that special wiring must be installed between the conductive tapes and some remote source of power and alarm unit. Because of these characteristics, these systems have not been applied to the detection of theft of portable electronic equipment. It is not practical to install conductive tapes onto the electronic units. If such an installation were made, a routine act such as sliding an electronic unit from one side of a desk to another side might generate a false alarm signal. Additionally, the fragile conductive tapes of the prior art would be subject to repeated damage from normal office activity with resulting false alarms.
It is therefore desirable to provide a convenient and easy to install theft detection system for electronic units which does not adversely effect the portability of the units.